Thread tensioning apparatus



Aug. 10,1943. F; WHOLTON 2,326,714

' wrgnfim TENSIONINGVAPPARATUS Filed July 29; 1942 a Sheets-Sheet 1 iNVENTOR FRED WHOLTON BY HIS ATTORNEYS Aug. '10; 1943. F. WHOLTQN v 2,326,714

' THREAD TENSIONIVNG APPARATUS Filed July 29, 1942 s She ets-Sheet 2 FRED WHOLTON\ BY HIS ATTORNEYS INVENTOR Au 10, 1943'. FIWHOLTON 2,326,714

THREAD TENSIONING APPARATUS Filed July 29, 1942 s Sheets-Sheet s INVENTOR FRED WHOLTON BY HIS ATTORNEYS Patented Aug. 10, 1943 THREAD TEN SIGNING APPARATUS Fred Wholton, Croft, near Leicester, England, as-

signor to Courtaulds Limited, London, England, a British company 1 Application July .29, 1942, Serial No. 452,795 a In Great Britain January 29, 1942 3 Claims. (Cl. 242-154) The object of this invention is to provide a compensating tension device which functions .so as to. tend to keep constant the tension in a thread which is being delivered from one point to another, and which is particularly useful when the thread is being wound into the form of a cone, and also when the thread is being unwound from the cone and being delivered to the needles of a knitting machine, such as 'is employed in the production of hosiery. My new tension compensating device comprises two fixed guides and between them two movable guides attached to a member which is free to rotate about an axis, the said two movable guides being one on each side of the axis, while the said member is provided with means which tend to cause it to rotate about its axis in such a direction as to increase the length of the path along which the thread moves in contact with the two movable guides, and thus increase the actual friction caused by the movement of the thread passing over the said two guides. The said means which cause the member to rotate in the said direction may conveniently consist of a weight attached to the member. The member may conveniently consist of a hollow disc containing a loose ball of steel, mercury or other suitable material which acts as a sta- I biliser to diminish or prevent oscillation of the disc to which the two movable guides are attached. The weight or other means which tends to cause the member to rotate about its axis is preferably adjustable, so that the tendency of the member to rotate about its axis can be varied according to the conditions being employed at the time, for instance the denier of the thread and the purpose for which the device is bein employed. The two fixed guides may be of any suitable type and it is sometimes convenient to employ a guide to which a further tension device, such as a pair of cymbals, is attached. The invention will now be described in connection with the drawings, in which Figure 1 and Figure 2 represent respectively front and side elevations of one method of constructing the device, while Figure 3 represents' a front elevation of another method of constructing the device.

In Figures 1 and 2. the thread A passes from ,the cake B over the fixed guide c in the form of a cymbal tensiondevice, around the two movable guides D and E which are attached to a disc F capable of rotation about the axis G. The thread then passes over another fixed Guide E and through a traversing eye J on to the receptacle K on which the thread is being wound in the form of a cone. An adjustable weight L is carried by an arm M which is attached at one end thereof N to the disc F. The disc I is hollow and contains a loose ball'P, for instance, of steel I or mercury, which acts as the stabiliser to ire-- vent oscillation.

In Figure 3, like letters refer to similar parts in Figures 1 and 2, but the disc F in the said pivoted at G.

What I claim is:

1. A device for compensating the tension in a running'thread comprising two fixed guides, an axis situated between said fixed guides, a mem- Figures 1 and 2 has been replaced by a bar Q ber mounted for free rotation on said axis, two guides attached to said member on opposite sides of said axis and moving with said member, and means attached to said member which means tend to cause the member to rotate about its axis in such a direction as to increase the length of the path along which the thread moves in contact with the two guides attached to said member. 2. A device as claimed in claim 1, in which the means attached to the said member consists of a weight. I

3. A device as claimed in claim 1, in which said member is a hollow disc containing a loose stabilising ball.

FRED WHOLTON. 

